Of Lost Doctors and Metacrises
by labyrinthofsuffering11
Summary: Journey's End AU. What if the metacrisis was a version of Nine instead of Ten? How did this happen? How will this change Rose's train of thought?
1. Chapter 1

AN: Okay, so my take on this part of the story is the metacrisis developed into the previous regeneration of the Doctor, which will be explained in the next chapter. Donna will know why he was created in this version, but not all the Time Lord technology stuff until the zap still. Also, he won't be naked when he is "born" :p

Chapter 1- The New New Doctor

Every last cell in Donna Noble's body was burning. A golden light had engulfed her, strangled her, and now she felt like this was certainly the end for her.

_That stupid spaceman's hand better do somethin' useful_, she thought to herself. _I will come back and slap him into his new regeneration if I died for nothin'._

Then she felt it. The golden light started to slowly die. She could feel her toes, then her legs, then her fingers, then her arms, and finally her head. She blinked and wiggled her limbs, just to check everything was in full working order again.

She patted her head. Full head of hair was still there...but something was different. She felt...more like the spaceman.

Donna whirled around to come face-to-face with a complete stranger. He was rough and wearing a leather jacket, he kind of looked like a u-boat captain.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked.

He looked startled. "Who the hell am I? Who the hell are you?" he retorted.

"Hold on," she held up a hand to shush him. She walked towards the man and placed a hand on his chest. "Only one heart...but. You remind me of my friend."

"Only one heart? Are you my new companion?" the man asked.

"Yeah, I am," she said proudly. "You are the Doctor then! But why do you only have one heart?" she asked, brows furrowed.

He opened his mouth, but she cut him off with a hand wave again.

"Shut it, I'm thinkin'. I touched your hand, this gold light surrounded me, and then when it goes away, you're here, with only one heart...you're half human!" she realized, exclaiming.

"I was just about to explain that," the Doctor mumbled. "How d'you know all that?"

"Because," Donna announced, finally able to place her finger on what was different about her, "I'm half Time Lord."

He scoffed. "No way."

"Yes way!" she exclaimed.

"Oh," the Doctor said suddenly, "We got to keep quiet. No one knows we're here."

"Well isn't that wizard?" she asked sarcastically. Her face turned serious. "I kept hearing your single heartbeat.

"Oh, that was me," the Doctor said. "My single heart. Because I'm a complicated event in space and time. Musta rippled back, convergin' on ya."

"But why me?" Donna asked.

"Because you're special," the Doctor shrugged.

"Oh, I keep tellin' ya, I'm not," she scoffed.

"No, but you are. Oh. You really don't believe that, do ya?" the Doctor asked, sadness in his eyes. "I can see, Donna, what you're thinkin'. All that attitude, all that lip, 'cause all this time ya think you're not worth it."

"Stop it," she said sternly.

"Shoutin' at the world because no one's listenin'. Well, why should they?" he asked.

"Doctor?" Donna said hesitantly. "Stop it."

"But look at what ya did. No, it's more than that. It's like we were always headin' for this. Ya came to the Tardis. And ya found me again. Your granddad. Your car. Donna, your car. You parked your car right where the Tardis was goin' to land! That's not coincidence at all! We've been blind. Somethin's been drawin' us together for such a long time."

"But you're talkin' like destiny. There's no such thing. Is there?" she asked.

"It's still not finished," the Doctor realized. "It's like the pattern's not complete. The strands are still drawin' together. But headin' for what?" He thought for another minute. "Wait," he said, "Where's Rose?"

"She's out there with the other you," Donna said.

"She still travels with me?" he beamed.

"Oi!" she complained loudly. "You're still as lovesick over her in this regeneration, too?"

The Doctor turned bright red. "I have no idea what you're talkin' about."

She sighed. "She was travelin' with you in this new body, but ya got separated, and now she's found her way back to ya. But unless we do somethin', we're all gonna die. Earth, you, me, Rose…"

The Doctor nodded determinedly. "Right, let's put our heads together then."

…

"What is that thing?" Donna asked him. The Doctor was tinkering with some type of gizmo.

"It's our only hope," he told her. "A Z-neutrino biological inversion catalyzer."

"Not in spaceman talk, please," Donna said.

"Davros said he built those Daleks outta himself," the Doctor reminded her. "His genetic code runs through the entire race. If I could use this to lock the Crucible's transmission onto Davros himself-"

"It destroys the Daleks?" she interrupted.

"Biggest backfire in history," he confirmed. He clicked the gizmo into place. "Ready? Maximum power."

He set the TARDIS for it's course and stepped out with the fashioned weapon.

"Brilliant," Jack said.

The previous version of the Doctor ran across the floor, only to get zapped and drop to the floor in pain.

"Stop!" Rose cried frantically, wishing she could rush over and comfort him.

"Activate holding cell," Davros commanded.

Donna ran out of the TARDIS and grabbed the weapon he dropped. "Doctor! I've got it! But I don't know what to do-"

It seemed she needn't have worried, because a volt of electricity was sent her way as well, and she crumpled.

"Donna!" the Doctor called. "Are you alright?"

"Destroy the weapon," Davros said. "I was wrong about your soldiers, Doctor. They are pathetic."

"How comes there are two of ya?" Rose asked. "And how come he looks like your previous self?"

"Long explanation," the Doctor told her. "Human biological metacrisis. But never mind that right now. Now we've got no way of stopping the reality bomb."

"Stand witness, Time Lord. Stand witness, humans. Your strategies have failed, your weapons are useless, and. Oh. The end of the universe has come," Davros said, almost gloating.

"Mmm, closing all Z-neutrino relay loops using an internalised synchronous back-feed reversal loop. That button there," Donna said from the corner. She pressed a button on the panel she was thrown against from the zap.

"Donna, you can't even change a plug," the Doctor scoffed.

"D'you wanna bet, Time Boy?" she asked.

"You'll suffer for this," Davros promised.

"Oh, bio-electric dampening field with a retrograde field arc inversion," she rattled off, pressing a few more levers.

"Exterminate her!"

"Exterminate. Exterminate. Exterminate," the Daleks called. "Weapons non-functional," the said in disbelief.

"Phwor!" Donna exclaimed. "Macrotransmission of a K-filter wavelength blocking Dalek weaponry in a self-replicating energy blindfold matrix."

"How did you work that out? You're-"

"Time Lord. Part Time Lord," the previous Doctor interrupted, beaming.

"Part human. Oh, yes. That was a two-way biological metacrisis. Half Doctor, half Donna," she informed him.

"The Doctor Donna. Just like the Ood said, remember? They saw it coming. The Doctor Donna," the Doctor said in disbelief.

"Holding cells deactivated. And seal the Vault. Well, don't just stand there, you skinny boys in suits. Get to work!" she commanded.

"Stop them! Get them away from the controls," Davros commanded.

"And spin," Donna said.

The Daleks started spinning where they sat. "Help me. Help me!" they called.

"What did ya do?" the previous Doctor asked in awe.

"Trip switch circuit-breaker in the psychokinetic threshold manipulator," she said.

"But that's fantastic!" he said gleefully.

"Why did we never think of that?" the Doctor asked.

"Because you two were just Time Lords, you dumbos, lackin' that little bit of human. That gut instinct that comes hand in hand with Planet Earth. I can think of ideas you two couldn't dream of in a million years. Ah, the universe has been waitin' for me. Now, let's send that trip switch all over the ship. Did I ever tell you, best temp in Chiswick? Hundred words per minute," Donna said proudly.

"Ha!" the previous Doctor shouted.

"Come on then, boys. We've got twenty seven planets to send home. Activate magnetron," Donna said. "Ready? And reverse."

"Off you go, Clom," the Doctor said.

"Back home, Adipose Three," the previous Doctor said.

"Shallacatop, Pyrovillia and the Lost Moon of Poosh. Sorted. Ha!" Donna exclaimed.

"Ha!" the previous Doctor shouted.

"We need more power!" the Doctor shouted.

"Is anyone goin' to tell us what's goin' on?" Rose asked, her eyebrows raised.

"He poured all his regeneration energy into his spare hand. I touched the hand, and he grew outta that but that fed back into me. But, it just stayed dormant in my head till the synapses got that little extra spark, kickin' them into life. Thank you, Davros! Part human, part Time Lord. And I got the best bit of the Doctor. I got his mind," Donna said.

"So there's three of you?" Sarah Jane Smith asked.

"Three Doctors?" Rose asked.

"I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now," Jack said.

"You're so unique the timelines were convergin' on you. Human being with a Time Lord brain," the previous Doctor stated.

"But you promised me, Dalek Caan. Why did you not foresee this?" Davros asked.

"Oh, I think he did. Something's been manipulating the timelines for ages, getting Donna Noble to the right place at the right time," the Doctor said.

"This would always have happened. I only helped, Doctor," Caan said.

"You betrayed the Daleks," Davros said.

"I saw the Daleks. What we have done, throughout time and space, I saw the truth of us, Creator, and I decreed, no more!"

"Oh, we've lost the magnetron," the Doctor said. "And there's only one planet left. Oh, guess which one. But we can use the Tardis." He ran into his ship.

"Holding Earth stability. Maintaining atmospheric shell," the previous Doctor grunted, holding down a lever.

"The prophecy must complete," Caan said. "I have seen the end of everything Dalek, and you must make it happen, Doctor."

"He's right," the previous version of the Doctor said. "'cause with or without a Reality bomb, this Dalek Empire's big enough to slaughter the cosmos. They've gotta be stopped."

"Just, just wait for the Doctor," Donna pleaded.

"I am the Doctor," he insisted. "Maximizin' Dalekanium power feeds. Blastin' them back!"

The Daleks started exploding, and the Doctor ran out of the TARDIS.

"What have you done?" he asked in horror.

"Fulfillin' the prophecy," the previous version said calmly.

"Do you know what you've done?" the Doctor asked angrily. "Now get in the Tardis! Everyone! All of you, inside! Run!"

"Sarah Jane! Rose! Jackie! Jack! Mickey!" the previous version of the Doctor called.

"Davros? Come with me. I promise I can save you," the Doctor said.

"Never forget, Doctor, you did this. I name you. Forever, you are the Destroyer of the Worlds!"

The Doctor closed the door to the TARDIS, shutting his eyes. "And off we go," he said.

"But what about the Earth? It's stuck in the wrong part of space," Sarah Jane said.

"I'm on it. Torchwood Hub, this is the Doctor. Are you receiving me?" he asked.

"Loud and clear," Gwen said. "Is Jack there?"

"Can't get rid of him," the DOctor assured. "Jack, what's her name?"

"Gwen Cooper," Jack said.

"Tell me, Gwen Cooper, are you from an old Cardiff family?" he asked.

"Yes, all the way back to the eighteen hundreds."

"Ah, thought so. Spatial genetic multiplicity."

"Oh, yeah," Rose said, grinning, as she realized who Gwen was related to.

"Yeah, it's a funny old world. Now, Torchwood, I want you to open up that rift manipulator. Send all the power to me," he instructed.

"What's that for?" Donna asked.

"It's a tow rope. Now then. Sarah, what was your son's name?" he asked.

"Luke. He's called Luke. And the computer's called Mister Smith," she informed him.

"Calling Luke and Mister Smith, this is the Doctor. Come on, Luke. Shake a leg," he called.

"Is Mum there?" Luke asked.

"Oh, she's fine and dandy," the Doctor promised.

"Yes! Yes!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Now, Mister Smith, I want you to harness the rift power and loop it around the TARDIS. You got that?"

"I regret I will need remote access to Tardis base code numerals," the computer said.

"Oh, blimey, that's going to take a while," the Doctor lamented, running a hand through his hair.

"No, no, no. Let me. K9, out you come!" Sarah commanded.

"Affirmative, Mistress," the dog said.

"Oh! Oh ho! Oh, good dog!" the Doctor approved. "K9, give Mister Smith the base code."

"Master, TARDIS base code now being transferred. The process is simple."

"Now then, you lot. Sarah, hold that down. Mickey, you hold that. Because you know why this TARDIS is always rattling about the place? Rose? That, there. It's designed to have six pilots, and I have to do it single handed. Martha, keep that level. But not any more. Jack, there you go. Steady that. Now we can fly this thing. No, Jackie. No, no. Not you. Don't touch anything. Just stand back. Like it's meant to be flown. We've got the Torchwood Rift looped around the TARDIS by Mister Smith, and we're going to fly Planet Earth back home. Right then. Off we go."

"That's really good, Jack," Donna praised. "I think you're the best."

"Good job!" Jackie exclaimed as they set Earth back in it's correct place.

The Doctor set course for Sarah Jane's house first.

"You know," she said as they walked out, "you act like such a lonely man. But look at you. You've got the biggest family on Earth."

He hugged her tightly.

"Oh! Got to go. He's only fourteen. It's a long story. And thank you!" she called.

The Doctor walked back to his crowd.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you all right?" Donna rolled her eyes at her mobile.

"I'm goin' to miss ya more than anyone," Mickey told Jackie sincerely.

"What d'you mean? The Doctor's goin' to take us home, isn't he?" she asked, confused.

"Well, that's the point," he said.

They landed at a park, and Jack and Martha walked out.

"I told you, no teleport," he said to Jack disapprovingly, breaking his teleport bracelet once more. "And, Martha, get rid of that Osterhagen thing, eh? Save the world one more time."

"Consider it done," she smiled.

They saluted him, and he waved.

"You know, I'm not sure about UNIT these days. Maybe there's something else you could be doing?" Jack asked her as they walked away.

Mickey walked out of the TARDIS next.

"Oi, where are you going?" the Doctor protested.

"Well, I'm not stupid. I can work out what happens next. And hey, I had a good time in that parallel world, but my gran passed away. Nice and peaceful. She spent her last years livin' in a mansion. There's nothin' there for me now, certainly not Rose," he said, giving him a pointed look.

"What will you do?" he asked.

"Anythin'. Brand new life. Just you watch. See ya, boss. Hey, you two!" Mickey called.

"Just time for one last trip. Dårlig Ulv Stranden. Better known as-" the Doctor told the remaining inhabitants of the TARDIS, but he couldn't finish, because he knew he had to leave Rose again. And worse still, in the same place.

"Oh, fat lot of good this is," Jackie complaining as they walked out. "Back of beyond. Bloody Norway? I'm goin' to have to phone your father. He's on the nursery run. I was pregnant, d'you remember? Had a baby boy," she told the Doctor.

"Oh, brilliant. What did you call him?" he asked.

"Doctor."

"Really?" the previous version of the Doctor asked, his nose wrinkling at the thought.

"No, ya plum. He's called Tony," she laughed.

Hold on," Rose spoke up quietly. "This is the parallel universe, right?"

"You're back home," the Doctor told her.

"And the walls of the world are closin' again, now that the Reality Bomb never happened. It's dimensional retroclosure. See, I really get that stuff now," Donna said proudly.

"No, but I spent all that time tryin' to find ya. I'm not goin' back now!" Rose protested.

"But you've got to," he said more to himself than to her. "Because we saved the universe, but at a cost. And the cost is him. He destroyed the Daleks. He committed genocide. He's too dangerous to be left on his own."

"You made me!" the previous version exclaimed.

"Exactly. You were born in battle, full of blood and anger and revenge. Remind you of someone? That's me, when we first met. And you made me better. Now you can do the same for him."

"But he's not you," Rose said, her eyes filling with tears.

"He needs you," he told her. "That's very me." He walked closer to her. "Besides, what happened to all those you should just degenerate arguments, Rose? Now you can have him back?" His hearts thudded painfully at the memory.

"But I didn't mean it," she said. "I really didn't."

"But it's better than that, though. Don't you see what he's tryin' to give ya? Tell her. Go on," Donna prompted.

"I think like him, I'm the man you used to know. Same memories, same thoughts, same everythin'. Except I've only got one heart," the previous version of the Doctor said.

"Which means?" Rose breathed.

"I'm part human. Specifically, the agin' part. I'll grow old and never regenerate. I've only got one life, Rose Tyler. I could spend it with you, if ya want," he finished, beaming.

"You'll grow old at the same time as me?" she asked, her eyes boring into him.

"Together," he promised.

"We've got to go. This reality is sealing itself off forever," the Doctor said, the lump in his throat growing as he saw Rose look at him.

"But, it's still not right, 'cause the Doctor's still you," Rose protested.

"And I'm him." The Doctor pointed at the metacrisis.

"Alright. Both of ya, answer me this. When I last stood on this beach, on the worst day of my life, what was the last thing ya said to me? Go on, say it," she challenged, looking them both square in the eye.

"I said, Rose Tyler," he said, pleading with her silently to drop it.

"Yeah, and how was that sentence goin' to end?" she pressed.

"Does it need saying?" the Doctor asked, the tears welling in his eyes in earnest now.

She turned away from him. "And you, Doctor? What was the end of that sentence?"

The previous regeneration of the Doctor leaned down and whispered, "I love you."

Rose pulled him to her by his leather jacket lapels and kissed him.

The Doctor looked on, his hearts constricting painfully and left with Donna to the TARDIS.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- The Consequences

Rose's lips were on his. Her lips were on his _and it was of her own accord_. The last time he had kissed her, he remembered, was to save her from the time vortex burning inside her. He was worried she would never have another day of life, and now he could spend the rest of his life with her properly.

Wait. Rose's lips were on his. What was he doing? He disentangled himself from her grasp on his lapels gently, so as not to offend her and looked at her. She was breathing heavily and her lips were red.

He heard the familiar sound of the TARDIS dematerializing, and Rose rushed out on the sand, towards the spot where it had been.

Was she aching for the TARDIS or for the other him? He was a pretty boy, after all. Everything he wished his regeneration would be, just for Rose Tyler. So, he did the only thing he knew how to do. He took her hand, and he squeezed it gently. Rose looked away from the empty spot and at their entwined hands instead. Then she looked at him.

The Doctor was uneasy, and that was because he couldn't read Rose's expressions anymore. He couldn't tell if it was because she had grown up, and learned to mask them, or if it was because he had been without her for a long time, and he had forgotten how to read them. Both options were terrifying to him, and the Doctor never admitted when he was.

"Sweetheart?" Jackie called gently behind them. He could feel her presence, and Rose's mother put her hand on her shoulder. "You alright?"

Rose dropped his hand and turned to face her mother. "Not really, mum, no." She sighed. "You know how hard we all worked on that dimension cannon, and now…"

Jackie pulled her into a tight hug. "I know, love. Your father wasn't too happy either, believe me. He's goin' to come get us in the mornin', in the mean time, we gotta find a place to stay."

Rose nodded. She turned to him finally, and said, "Right then, Doctor, let's go."

The Doctor gulped and nodded. He walked behind them quietly, until they reached a cab.

"Your father arranged to have one drive us around to look for a hotel," Jackie said.

The Doctor had so many questions about this father business. How did that happen? And how did Rose and her mother end up here anyways? But, he supposed, there was plenty of times for questions later.

He opened the door for Jackie and Rose, and Jackie expressed surprise that he had opened a door for her. Rose didn't even look at him.

They climbed into the car, Rose leaning against her mother as much as possible. He had the vague sense that she was trying to ignore him, or she was afraid of him.

The cab drove slowly through the winding beach village until they reached a small inn. Jackie climbed out, and said, "I'll be right back, you two. Just gotta check if they have some rooms."

Rose nodded. With one last weird glance at the pair of them, Jackie left.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Did I do somethin' to offend ya?" he asked.

She looked over at him. "No."

"Then why are ya avoidin' me?" he asked her point blank.

She sighed. "I don't wanna talk about it right now, alright?"

"Then when would ya like to talk about it? In case ya haven't noticed, I'm not the one who stranded you here!" the Doctor roared, his post War temper flaring up.

Rose slapped him, almost as if she did it without thinking. Then she covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I didn't mean to-"

"Save it," he said tiredly, holding up his hand. "I shouldn't have yelled at ya. I shouldn't have said that." He pulled her into his arms, and she tensed up before relaxing. "I missed you," he said quietly.

"I missed you, too," she said seriously. "Even after the regeneration."

They broke apart at the sound of someone rapping on the window. The Doctor looked up to see Jackie glaring at them.

"If you two are quite done, I got us some rooms. And don't ya go gettin' ideas in your head, Doctor," she waggled her finger at him. "There's three rooms, not two."

He couldn't help the sinking feeling in his chest. He used to cuddle with Rose sometimes on the TARDIS, why was that such a crime here?

But then he remembered Rose's reaction to him just a few moments earlier, and thought maybe it was a good idea for some space for now.

"Course ya did," he rolled his eyes. "Like a Time Lord would even have those thoughts in his head."

"Part Time Lord," Jackie said.

His mood darkened at the reminder. Almost as if she sensed his mood shift, Rose took his hand briefly and squeezed it before she dropped it once more.

She climbed out to stand next to her mother, and the Doctor followed. Jackie paid the cab driver and they walked into the hotel.

The woman in the front gave them three little keys. "Enjoy your stay, dears," she said kindly, and they thanked her.

Jackie distributed the keys, and he silently thanked her that she at least gave him the room next to Rose.

They set off for their rooms, muttering a "Goodnight."

The Doctor walked into his room. It was quite small. Definitely smaller than his room on the TARDIS. But it was cozy, the furnishings were nice, and it smelled pleasant, at least. Better than a lot of places he had stayed before. He sighed, ready to lay back on the bed and pass out.

He pulled off his boots, laid down on the bed, and closed his eyes.

…

He was awoken by a light knocking on his door. He looked out his window and saw it was still night. He wondered if it was Rose, ready to talk at last.

The Doctor stood up and opened the door. It was Rose. She looked at him shyly, a tentative smile on her face.

"I couldn't sleep," she said. "I wondered if I might come in here and talk?"

He yawned in spite of himself. "Sure."

"Did I wake you?" she asked, biting her lip in worry.

"It's fine," he assured her, and motioned for her to come in.

She sat gingerly at the edge of his bed. "So, a lot happened today," she said.

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed.

"Are you...okay that I kissed you?" she asked him.

He looked at her strangely, and sat next to her, gathering her hands to his chest. "Silly, daft, fantastic girl, why would I say I loved you, and then not wanted to kiss you?"

"Well," she began, but it seemed she couldn't finish. Rose burst into tears, leaning into his jacket, and clutching onto him for support.

He pulled her into his arms like he used to, and rubbed small circles on her back. "Well, what?" he asked quietly.

"Apparently the other you loved me, too, but he couldn't say it, could he? Then he left me…" Rose trailed off. "More than once."

"What d'you mean more than once?" the Doctor growled.

"It's nothin'," she said.

"Obviously not if it's got ya upset," he pointed out.

"At the beginnin' of your new regeneration," she started, "ya took Mickey along with us on the TARDIS."

The Doctor scoffed. "That's where he messed up already."

"We landed on a spaceship that belonged to clock droids. They created portals from their ship to periods in history to harvest human parts and make them compatible to the ship. When we got there, it was pre-Revolutionary France. They were goin' to use Madame de Pompadour's brain, but they couldn't find the right maturity, so they had these windows all throughout the ship. She...fell in love with you. You kissed her. And then to to top it all off, you jumped through the last time window on a horse, with no chance to come back, and you left me and Mickey stranded. You would never live the slow path with me, but you were just fine to do it with her."

"Rose," the Doctor pleaded. "I know that was a stupid thing of him to do. But you know he loved ya. I know he tried everythin' to get back to ya. Madame de Pompadour meant nothin' to him."

She turned away from him. "You weren't there. You don't know. You were a wreck for weeks. I desperately wished for ya to come back as this you."

"But don't ya see?" the Doctor asked. "That's why I did."

"What are ya talkin' about?" she asked.

"I'm goin' to explain to ya why I came out like this," the Doctor gestured to himself. "See, I can dictate how I want my metacrisis to look, just like with regeneration. He musta seen ya cryin' over me, Rose. He musta known ya wanted me back, and so he did it for ya again. Just like I made myself a pretty boy, he did this for you."

"You did?" Rose gasped.

He nodded.

She touched his cheek. "You didn't have to do that, ya know."

He turned away and shrugged. "I did anyways. Thought ya liked pretty boys."

She laughed. "You really are daft. I like you! Whatever you look like."

"You do?" he beamed.

"Yeah," she said sincerely.

But his heart fell, because she didn't say I love you.

"I'm tired now," she announced.

"Are ya gonna stay in here?" he asked.

"Nah." She shook her head. "I think that's a bit too fast. 'sides, I don't think you want two Tyler slaps in two days."

He shuddered at the thought.

"Didn't think so," Rose smiled. "See ya in the mornin', Doctor."

"And you, Miss Tyler."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: This is just a general note to all my fanfictions currently in progress. I'm sorry if you were excited about this being a new chapter xD And I'm also sorry, because I know you're technically not supposed to post an entire chapter with just an author's note, but in this case, it was needed. I just wanted to let you guys know, I haven't died, or abandoned this fanfiction right in the middle of the chapters. I have just had final exams, work, and other obligations tying me down. But now, school is over for three months, and I'll have four days off next week from work. So, during that time, all my fanfictions will be updated if they are still in progress. Thank you for your understanding, and thank all the lovely people who have followed, favorited, and reviewed. It's you that keeps me writing :)


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I'm really happy with metacrisis Nine. Like I explained before, Nine is my favorite Doctor, and even though I know Ten loved Rose as well, I feel like Nine was better at showing it sometimes. I'm excited to explore the angst and the fluffiness as he and Rose grow together.

Aftermath

Rose woke up with a fright in the morning. A terrible fear gripped at her throat that the Doctor had left her in the middle of the night, even if his version hadn't left her on purpose a day in her life. She tore off the duvet, ran towards the door, and flung it open only to be met by the part Time Lord in question.

His eyes looked shocked, but he quickly recovered. The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Good morning," he said quietly.

"I was just, uhm…" Rose trailed off trying to think of an excuse.

"I just wanted to check on ya," the Doctor said.

"Funny," she smiled, "I was on my way to do that to ya."

"Afraid I'll leave?" he joked, but when she didn't answer him, he got his answer. The Doctor gently grabbed her hand. "I'm not goin' anywhere, unless you want me to," he promised.

She smiled faintly.

"Also, I met your mother on the way in," the Doctor said, "and she wanted me to tell ya we were leavin' soon, so make sure you're awake and all your stuff is in order."

Rose nodded. "Thanks."

He hovered in the doorway, unsure if he should leave her to her privacy, or stay and be selfish.

"I'll catch up with ya later, yeah?" she asked hopefully. "I gotta take a shower still."

The decision made for him, the Doctor just nodded and turned away.

"Wait," Rose said, and he turned around immediately. She leaned towards him and planted a soft kiss to his lips. "See ya."

Rose closed the door, and the Doctor stood there more confused than he had ever been.

…..

The Tyler Estate was definitely grandiose. He had forgotten to ask Rose questions about her family life, and so now his head was swimming with unanswered questions about mansions and money, when the family used to live in the Powell Estate.

Just as he was about to open his mouth and ask, Pete started talking.

"I hope you'll be happy here," the man said. "If you need anything at all, just ask."

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

"Rose said when you're ready she'll help you set up a proper life here, and get you settled."

_A proper life? _The Doctor looked over at her and she shrugged as if sensing his question.

The car came to a stop at the driveway and a young boy about five came bounding out of the house with a red headed teenager following him.

They climbed out of the car, but no one made a move towards the door yet, and the Doctor soon saw why.

"Rosie! Momma!" the boy shouted, running straight into Rose's arms.

"Oof!" she called from the force of the hug. "Hello, Tony." She ruffled his hair affectionately, and the Doctor looked at this exchange in awe. Rose was obviously well loved. But then again, who wouldn't love her?

"Did ya find him?" her brother asked excitedly. "Did ya make it this time?"

Rose smiled sadly. "I did find him, Tony. But he left back to his own world, and he left me here, so I could stay with you," she grinned at that.

"Who's that?" Tony asked, finally noticing the Doctor behind her.

"Well," she started, "this is also the Doctor, but its my first Doctor, not the one I was looking for."

Tony climbed down from Rose's arms. He walked over to the Doctor and stared at him curiously.

"I'm Tony Tyler," he said finally, extending a small hand for the Doctor to shake.

He looked at it in amusement. "I'm the Doctor," he said, a grin he couldn't help escaping his lips.

"Do ya love my sister or not?" Tony asked, catching the Doctor off guard.

He sputtered, Rose laughed, and Jackie efficiently distracted him.

"No love for me Tony T?" his mother complained.

With Tony sufficiently distracted, Rose motioned for the Doctor to follow her into the house.

"So, that's your little brother," the Doctor stated.

"Yeah," she said. "Don't mind him, he's still in his phase of not knowin' when to shut it."

He smiled. "I can see that."

"Get's that from me, I suppose," Rose said.

"I was gonna say from our mother," he retorted.

Rose laughed, and it warmed his heart. "I suppose you're right," she acknowledged. "To the left is your room," she said, pointing at a blue door.

The Doctor opened the door she had pointed at, not quite sure what to expect. The room was large, the bed was the same size as his on the TARDIS with the same maroon sheets. He turned to face her. "Did you-"

"I may have phoned ahead this morning," she admitted. "The only work that's left is for the painters on Tuesday, they're goin' to paint the walls the same color as your sheets and we're goin' to paint the Gallifreyan in gold. Just like your old room, figured you'd miss it."

He pulled her into a hug. "Thank you," he said against her hair. "It's fantastic."

She smiled against his chest at the use of the familiar word. "My room is the exact same, too, so you should be able to find me easily."

"The only pink door with Rose in Gallifreyan on the door?" he asked, making sure his memory hadn't failed him.

"You remembered," she smiled.

"'Course I did," he huffed.

She sat down on the edge of his bed. "So, are there some things you wanna ask me?"

"Yeah," he said. "Tell me the entire story of how you and your mother got here, and how you have a father that looks exactly like your dead one."

Rose sighed. "Well, the other version of the Doctor and I got stranded in the parallel universe for a few days one time, and we ran into the parallel version of my dad. He was married to my mum here, too, but they didn't have me. Just a dog named Rose. The parallel version of my mum died in a Cybermen battle, and Mickey decided to stay behind-"

"Finally has some sense," the Doctor mumbled.

"-Then you and I went to this lab called Torchwood Institute. They hated you, and the Daleks and Cybermen appeared, with Mickey comin' back to find out where they were disappearin' to. We went up into the lab together, and you had a plan, but you said everythin' that had traveled through the breach could get stuck in the void in the process of sucking the Daleks and Cybermen back in. So, you sent all of us except for yourself into the parallel universe, includin' me. I wasn't havin' that-"

The Doctor smiled at that.

"-I jumped back to you, insistin' I was never gonna leave ya. You activated the breach, and we were holdin' onto the metal clamps, but somethin' went wrong. It was like I was travelin' towards the void and away from you in slow motion. You could only watch in horror, I could only wait to be swallowed by the cold darkness. But then Pete saved me by takin' me to the parallel world once more. He and my mother got married and had Tony. He's more successful here, he created that Vitex stuff we saw him workin' on when he-you know."

"How bad was it?" the Doctor asked. "For you, I mean."

"It was the worst feelin' I've ever had in my life," she answered honestly. "I knew you were alive, but I knew you were unreachable. Well, Pete had become head of Torchwood by this time, and he told me about a project he and some of his team were workin' on called the dimension cannon. I was so ready to greenlight it, when I remembered you said it would tear all of reality apart."

"Never selfish, are we?" the Doctor grinned.

She sighed. "Sometimes I thought about doin' it, consequences be damned, just to get back to ya."

"Is that how ya got back?" he asked.

"Well, the stars started goin' out," Rose explained, "and not just in this reality. It was everywhere. I knew I had to find ya. So, we spent days buildin' the thing, and I volunteered to test it out. You won't believe how many jumps it took to find ya."

"But you have me now," the Doctor said.

"Yeah," Rose agreed. "I have ya now."


End file.
